Central SA
Mangaung council whip out after secret ballot─── LUCKY NKUYANE 13:23 Thu, 01 Sep 2022
The ANC’s Chief Whip, who also was the Bloemfontein-based Mangaung Metro Municipal Council’s Whip, has been given the boot in a vote of no confidence.
The DA in council allegedly requested a motion of no confidence in Vumile Nikelo following his controversial letter to the council’s speaker, Stefani Lockman-Naidoo, recently.
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It’s understood that during Wednesday’s ordinary council sitting, the speaker allowed secret ballot voting in the motion brought against Nikelo and 46 council members voted in favour whilst 38 voted against the motion. The council members were 88 in total, 4 spoiled their votes and 2 abstained whilst the remaining 82 proceeded to vote. According to the DA’s Chief Whip in the Mangaung Council, Maryke Davies, the council is expected to elect a new whip sometime next week.
The ANC in the region is yet to comment but it’s understood that its Mangaung Interim Regional Committee (IRC) is locked in a meeting.
Davies tells OFM News that Nikelo undermined the work of the council and Nikelo’s letter to Lockman-Naidoo was a complete conflation and even integration of party and state. She said this was unconstitutional. “We were very happy when she announced that she will allow a secret ballot because of the victimisation of councillors and she said that if she does not allow it, the councillors won’t be able to vote according to their conscience because they will be scared of being punished for doing the right thing,” Davies adds.
Nikelo sent a letter to Lockman-Naidoo previously, informing her that no council sitting should be convened following a certain ANC meeting.
In this letter addressed to Lockman-Naidoo, Nikelo said in the aftermath of the current developments - referring to the intent to expel eight ANC councillors - the Interim Regional Committee (IRC) decided that, through him, no council sitting should convene.
Nikelo’s letter to Lockman-Naidoo followed after the Disciplinary Committee of the ANC’s Interim Regional Committee (IRC) in the Mangaung region allegedly issued letters with the intention to expel Lockman-Naidoo and Patrick Monyakoane, amongst others. According to the ANC’s IRC spokesperson, Ncamisa Ngxangisa, they were served with these letters because they allegedly voted with opposition members and defied party orders in council. This is the second time the ANC announces action against Lockman-Naidoo and Monyakoane in a space of six months.
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However, Nikelo defended his letter to Lockman-Naidoo and accused the opposition parties and some ANC members, who are affected by threats of expulsion, of blowing his communication to the speaker of the council out of proportion. Nikelo said there was nothing untoward regarding the letter he sent to Stefanie Lockman-Naidoo because he was merely seeking clarity from the speaker, as both are ANC members, about the latest development involving the affected councillors in council but did not instruct the speaker to not hold any council sitting.
